Top Five Pop Videos Featuring Bikes

Posted May 14, 2012 in inspiration, Jack Havana

Here are my Top Five Pop Videos Featuring Bikes. I know, I should get out more. But at least I haven’t included Queen’s Bicycle Race among them.  Feel free to agree, disagree or add your own choices under Comments below on straight onto our Facebook wall. Number Five: 30 Seconds to Mars – Kings and Queens An Emo-epic full of self-pitying “we are the victims of ourselves”-type lyrics with a whining frequency only detectable by thin, sallo... read more...

Kask K10 Helmet Review

Posted May 11, 2012 in Cycling Gear, reviews

No, I'd never heard of Kask either, until their lids appeared atop the Sky Pro Cycling team. I was in the market for a new helmet and fortunately Paragon Sports stocks the full range of Kask items. Having tried on what seemed like every helmet in the shop – to the obvious delight of the sales assistant - I left with a brand new Kask K10. Here in the USA, a few brands dominate the bicycle equipment market. Giro and Bell, both owned by Easton-Bell sports, are the giants of the helmet... read more...

Here's Sean The Sadist With The Weather

Posted May 08, 2012 in I Cyclist, Jack Havana, rain, spring, training, winter

Where I live, on the east coast of Scotland, it’s been winter since November 2010. That’s when it started snowing.  Apart from a brief respite in the January, it continued until early March. Then it started raining.  For most of April we were smothered by the haar (think John Carpenter’s The Fog).  A couple of times I managed to outpace it, cycling 10 or 15 miles away from the coast to find patches of sunshine and warmth. (First I had to ope... read more...

Rain! Rain! Go away!

Posted May 08, 2012 in female cyclists, Leigh Robinson, rain, spring, winter

April 2012 has been the second wettest on record say the weathermen. Rivers have burst their banks. Homes and businesses have been flooded. In a city like Worcester, where the River Severn cuts through the heart of the city, traffic congestion is at an all time high due to people dodging the weather, and of course road closures. Yet some parts of the UK are suffering drought and hosepipe bans. The weather has impacted upon of all us in the... read more...

The Number On My Back

Posted May 02, 2012 in Hill Climb, I Cyclist, Jack Havana, racing, sportive, training

Number 8744. Four digits printed on a square of shiny card sum up my station in life. Nowhere near the top. Quite close to the bottom.  Eight thousand, seven hundred and forty-fourth. It feels like a slap in the face. My entry was accepted within hours of the registration opening. That was eight months ago. I booked a cheap bed and breakfast near the start and return Eurotunnel on the same day. Since then, I’ve done 6,000 km in training&n... read more...

My First Audax

Posted April 27, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, sportive, training

Unlike Antony Lazarus, my first Audax experience was not in the lush heat of Bali. It was also considerably shorter than his epic 400km – but in my defence, it was entirely vertical. What is an Audax, I hear you cry! It’s like a sportive, only cheaper. It’s the No-Frills version of a cycling event. And, like value brands, you don’t get the added extras. No signposts, no marshals, and definitely no massage at the end. They tend to be longer than sportives, and the emp... read more...

Knog Blinder Review

Posted April 27, 2012 in andy ward, Cycling Gear, reviews

Australian company Knog first came to my attention when I bought a couple of their Frog bike lights. The silicon encased LED lights looked great and were highly practical, not relying on brackets to fix them to my handlebars or seatpost. Switching the lights between bikes or attaching them to a helmet was a doddle and if you looked at them through squinty eyes they really did look a bit like frogs. Having said that, although bright, they weren’t quite powerful enough t... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Youth Hostels

Posted April 27, 2012 in autumn barlow, I Cyclist, touring

So you decided wildcamping wasn’t for you. Good. More space for me. So what are the other options? Bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, attended campsites… and the wonderful, wonderful Youth Hostel Association. We’re back in ginger-beer-and-baggy-shorts territory. I will declare my partiality here. I finished my art degree in 1998 with no direction. I made some random and unsuccessful job applications (MI5, Guardian newspaper, tax inspector, IT manager at Trebor-Bassett). I ended up at... read more...

Do you break the rules?

Posted April 25, 2012 in andy ward, I Cyclist, inspiration, racing, training

Road cycling as a sport is littered with rituals and etiquette. You might think that there is only one way to wear your helmet, or that the length of your socks is unimportant. If so, you are probably not one of the Velominati. The Keepers of the Cog are responsible for The Rules, the sacred text that governs the behaviour of the true road cyclist. I decided to compare my own behaviour against all 91 of The Rules. Whilst I’m too ashamed to share all my answers, here are my favou... read more...

From Zero to 70.3 – First tri of the year

Posted April 19, 2012 in racing, rob ellis, training, triathlon

I’m about 5 weeks into my training for 70.3 UK, and have just rounded off my first race of the year. The race in question was the Ringwood Triathlon, run by Results Triathlon. I feel they really need a good mention here, my first triathlon as a junior was through Results, there’s always such a great atmosphere at the events and the organiser Michelle is always on hand to answer questions with a smile and a word of encouragement. The Ringwood Triathlon comprised a 600m pool swim, 28 mile ... read more...

What makes cycling great?

Posted April 18, 2012 in Amy O Halloran, I Cyclist, inspiration, Pro riding, Pro Tour

Everyone on here knows I love cycling. Obviously I do, otherwise I wouldn’t write for a cycling website. But I often wonder exactly why I love it. What is it that makes it so great? I like riding my bike for different reasons than I like watching bike racing. The two are quite separate in my mind; there are two sides to my cycling personality...  Firstly, the crap amateur cyclist Amy who tries to ride fast and does the occasional sufferfest, who goes on the bike when I can and a... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Wildcamping

Posted April 18, 2012 in autumn barlow, I Cyclist, touring

Big scary legal disclaimer: technically, wildcamping is illegal. Do not do it. In Scotland you can camp above a certain altitude, but generally it is not encouraged. In practice? If you pitch at nightfall, are gone by dawn, leave no trace and make no disturbance, you will be fine. Stay out of sight, away from roads and out of the way of livestock. Damage nothing. If you see a farmer, ask. You are more likely to be seen and ignored, to be honest. Don’t roam in gangs, either. On... read more...

Rest and Recuperation - Road Race Crash Recovery

Posted April 13, 2012 in andy ward, criterium, health, I Cyclist, racing

It almost seems a lifetime ago, but in my last article I talked about an upcoming "rite of passage" – my first road race. Well it certainly was a rite of passage, although not exactly what I had in mind... Fight Club Facebook and twitter followers will be aware that I was involved in a nasty crash on the final bend of the 25 lap criterium at Victoria Park in Leamington Spa.  The full gory details can be read here. Suffice to say, I made my children cry with ... read more...

From zero to 70.3

Posted April 12, 2012 in health, rob ellis, training, triathlon

I’ve just called time on week 3 of triathlon training. It’s been a heavy three weeks, ups and downs, injuries and issues, but it looks like things are moving in the right direction. As anyone who’s made the transition from cycling to triathlon will know all too well, it’s really the running that’s the killer.  Three runs into training and I’d already picked up a couple of issues, with the final straw coming when my gastrocnemius cramped to the extent where I could barely walk. A tri... read more...

Rain in Spain

Posted April 11, 2012 in I Cyclist, inspiration, training

A guest post from David Gange... As I'm writing the rain is lashing down outside here in sunny Spain!! My brand new bike, a B'Twin Triban 3 is waiting to be taken out for it's first spin. I've greased where grease goes. I've lubricated the bits that need lubricating. I've checked the bits that need checking, and now this! The frustration!  I'm a 51 year old teacher living to the north of Madrid in the mountains with my wife, 2 dogs and 2 cats. I've always been indirectly inv... read more...

Mark Beaumont Interview

Posted April 05, 2012 in books, I Cyclist, inspiration, LEJOG, Simon Dalgarno

My inspiration to cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats this year was initiated by reading Mark Beaumont’s excellent book on his Record Breaking Round the World Cycle, when he broke the solo record of cycling 18,296 miles in 194 days and 17 hours. So I decided to ask him a few questions about his cycling and other expeditions, which have seen him climb the two highest peaks in North and South America and cycle between them. Also, his non cycling adventures of rowing over the Arctic and his... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Trains

Posted April 04, 2012 in autumn barlow, I Cyclist, touring, training

It’s the ideal scenario – train and bike, a glorious combination of public transport and self-propelled non-polluting green smugness. It’s all 1930’s Britain with friendly conductors, steel bicycles, scrubbed young men with baggy shorts, and probably lashings of ginger beer. In reality? Well, I scoff at Ironman triathletes. I’ve endured far, far worse. I’ve endured the modern British railway system. There are two types of train. The local lines, which seem to stop every t... read more...

30 Days of Biking

Posted April 03, 2012 in female cyclists, I Cyclist, inspiration, Lauren Jenkins

30 Days of Biking originally started in Minneapolis. The idea was born in March 2010 when friends, Patrick Stephenson and Zachariah Schaa created the idea using social media. The friends promoted the idea throughout March to encourage cyclists to take the pledge in April. The word spread like wildfire on social networks. The initiative aims to connect cyclists through their shared love of cycling using social networks(@30daysofbiking, http://www.facebook.com/30daysofbiking). The... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Packing and Panniers

Posted March 30, 2012 in autumn barlow, Cycling Gear, female cyclists, I Cyclist, inspiration, LEJOG, touring

Cycle touring is basically going on holiday by bike. For some, this might mean trains and cycling – others just cycle. You might take a tent, or you might stop in B&Bs or youth hostels. You might have a plan, or you might wish to horrify your family by having no fixed itinerary at all. But whatever you’re doing, you will need to carry your stuff. “Credit Card Touring” – going from place to place with no more than your Visa card, socks stiff with sweat, and a banana in your pocket – i... read more...

A plunge into the unkown - Ironman UK 70.3

Posted March 16, 2012 in inspiration, racing, rob ellis, training, triathlon

I’d like to start this article by asking you to watch a quick video clip.  I first came across this video 3 or 4 years ago and it’s had a deep and lasting impact on me; the true embodiment of the Ironman mantra that nothing is impossible. The Hoyt’s truly are incredible athletes, totally overcoming the limitations imposed on them by nature and showing that whoever says you can’t, doesn’t know a thing about human determination! But this article isn’t about th... read more...

Recent Cycling ArticlesRSS

Top Five Pop Videos Featuring Bikes

Here are my Top Five Pop Videos Featuring Bikes. I know, I should get out more. But at least I haven’t included Queen’s Bicycle Race among them.  Feel free to agree, disagree or...

Kask K10 Helmet Review

No, I'd never heard of Kask either, until their lids appeared atop the Sky Pro Cycling team. I was in the market for a new helmet and fortunately Paragon Sports stocks the...

Here's Sean The Sadist With The Weather

Where I live, on the east coast of Scotland, it’s been winter since November 2010. That’s when it started snowing.  Apart from a brief respite in the January, it continued until early...

Rain! Rain! Go away!

April 2012 has been the second wettest on record say the weathermen. Rivers have burst their banks. Homes and businesses have been flooded. In a city like Worcester, where the River Severn cuts...

The Number On My Back

Number 8744. Four digits printed on a square of shiny card sum up my station in life. Nowhere near the top. Quite close to the bottom.  Eight thousand, seven hundred...

Post Tags

On Twitter

Follow @daily_cycle